You confess Him to be your Defender, Helper and Deliverer – but why do you seek help, protection and deliverance in your need and sorrow not from Him, but from man?

You confess that God is everywhere and in every place, and sees all human deeds, and from His word you hear this—why do you not give Him honor and revere Him, as you do before your father, master, and authority?

You confess Him to be the righteous Judge – why do you not fear His righteous judgment and do not cease to sin? And so on.

You see that your heart and thought of God are not in agreement with your lips, and your deeds and life do not correspond to your confession. How can you say that you know God, and do not give God what His honor requires of you? If you know God as you say, but you do not worship Him as God, neither is your knowledge true without reverence, and so you are in blindness, darkness, and ignorance.

§ 54. Not only in his office to God, but also in his office to his neighbor, that is, to every person, the carnal and unenlightened man is blind. We see that a person does evil to his neighbor that he does not want for himself, and does not do the good that he wants for himself. We see how indignant and angry he is with him who offends him, curses him, curses him, blasphemes him, defames him, touches his bed, steals, steals, takes away what is done to him, and does him other offenses; but he himself is not ashamed to do the same evil or to repay evil for evil, and does not feel it. On the contrary, he wants his neighbor to have mercy on him, not to leave him in need, for example: he feeds the hungry, gives drink to the thirsty, clothes the naked, brings the stranger into the house and gives him rest, visits the sick and the imprisoned, and does other works of mercy to him – he wants this, this truth is indisputable – but he himself does not want to do this to his neighbors. We see this evil – self-love, untruth and blindness in Christians, who either silently pass by their neighbors in distress and as if they do not see them, or are not ashamed to answer: what do I care about him?

We see this self-love and unrighteousness in Christians: not only to do evil, but also not to do good to one's neighbors – there is untruth. And, what is worse, we see that many Christians steal, kidnap and deceive, flatter, lie, deceive, slander, slander, judge, scold, commit adultery and do other offenses to their neighbors, which they do not want to do to themselves, are not ashamed and are not afraid, as was said above. All this comes from blindness.

§ 55. In this office, that is, to one's neighbor, a person becomes blind because he does not heed the office of God, and in this position he becomes blind and erroneous. God commanded us not to do evil, so to do good to our neighbor. Therefore, a person, when he either does evil or does not do good to his neighbor, does not listen to the command of God, and does not revere the God who commands, does not fear, does not love; and so, not fulfilling his duty to his neighbor, he leaves his office to God. And from this it is evident that the duty to one's neighbor from the office to God is inseparable, and one cannot be fulfilled without the other. He does not honor God who forsakes his duty to his neighbor; he does not fear God, who is not afraid to do evil to his neighbor; and he does not love God who does not love his neighbor. The Apostle teaches us about this: "Whoever says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, is a liar (1 John 4:20). For God commanded to love thy neighbor: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matt. 22:39); – and again: "This I command you, that you love one another" (John 15:17). Therefore, whoever does not love his neighbor does not listen to God, Who commands him to love his neighbor, and so does not honor Him.

The root and source of all piety is true knowledge of God. And just as a pious life is a testimony to the knowledge of God, so a sinful and lawless life is a proof of God's ignorance and a godless heart, even if such a person confesses God and Christ, goes to church, prays, communes of the Mysteries, and shows other signs of Christianity.

§ 56. Since God, as a Spirit, not subject to any senses, is seen not with the bodily, but with the eyes of the soul, therefore the sinner does not know Him, and, not knowing, does not revere Him, for the darkness of sin has blinded his spiritual eyes. From whence it comes, it does something, it strives for it, it only seeks that which is subject to its external feelings. Because he sees his father, sees his master, sees his master, then he honors them, listens to them, tries to serve and please them, and takes care to offend and anger them; he sees judgment and temporal punishment and fears them; He sees the honor, glory, and riches of this world, and therefore desires them and seeks them. But he does not see God and eternal glory, and honor, and riches, so he does not try to please God, so he does not try to seek that eternal treasure.

Whoever does not see or know what does not want and does not seek it. He does not desire honey or the fruits of the earth and trees, until he knows the taste of their sweetness: we must first taste them, whether they are sweet or bitter, useful or harmful to us, and so desire or reject them. A merchant does not go to that country where he does not hope to find profit for himself; The foolish lad does not see any benefit in science, and therefore he does not care about learning. So it is with spiritual things: whoever does not have spiritual enlightenment in himself about them, does not strive for them, does not desire them, and does not seek them.

The sinner has not tasted how good the Lord is, and does not seek Him.

He does not feel God's blessings in his heart – and does not thank God.

He does not know the omnipotence and majesty of God – and does not tremble before Him.

He does not know His truth, and does not believe Him.